Grants We Funded
Grant applicants for the 2023 cycle requested a total of nearly $4 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated nearly 140 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $1 million dollars to support nearly 30 plastic surgery research proposals.
ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.
Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
Calvarial Particulate Bone Graft for Craniofacial Augmentation
Arin Greene MD
2008
Massachusetts General Hospital
Basic Research Grant
Cranio/Maxillofacial/Head and Neck
Onlay cranioplasty, the placement of material on top of cranial bone, is used for craniomaxillofacial reconstruction. The skeleton is augmented in order to correct asymmetry or to improve function. Common indications for cranial augmentation include congenital anomalies, trauma, and deformities following operative procedures. Approximately 8,000 cranial bone grafts are used per year in the United States, with and additional number of grafts from alloplastic materials. Cranioplasty in children is particularly difficult because I) the supply of bone graft is limited and 2) alloplastic materials are not advocated because they may inhibit cranial growth. In children, autologous bone is the cranioplasty material of choice because alloplastic substances may become unstable or inhibit the growth of the skull. Despite the advantages of autologous bone for pediatric cranioplasty, it is difficult to obtain in children. The iliac crest and ribs are small and the preferred donor site, the cranium, is unable to be split before 4 years of age when a diploic space has formed. In situ harvest of cranial bone is not recommended until 9 years of age, when the parietal region is at least 6 mm thick. Not only is autologous bone difficult to harvest in children, but when used as an onlay material, it does not maintain its volume as well as alloplastic material. In order to overcome the problem of limited bone graft supply in the pediatric population, we have developed a technique for harvesting particulate cranial bone graft in children. Clinically, we have shown that this graft effectively heals full-thickness cranial defects (inlay cranioplasty).
Dr. Greene’s research background is in the field of angiogenesis. He trained in the Harvard Combined Plastic Surgery Program and then completed a fellowship in Craniofacial/Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston. His basic science and clinical research is focused on vascular anomalies, lymphedema, and cranioplasty.